Press Release

Santa Barbara, California (February 6, 2017) — The Second Annual Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival is pleased to announce an impressive lineup for its 2017 Festival to be held from March 23-27 at the New Vic Theatre.

The lineup includes critically acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and a wide variety of shorts from Hungary, The Netherlands, Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States on themes ranging from circumcision, the religious rights of women, and the diversity of Israeli life, to issues of sexuality, questions of who is a Jew, and the role of memory. They all show the power of film to entertain while evoking emotions and thoughts.

Highlights include The Settlers (Friday, 3:15 pm), which examines the current controversial movement in Israel, followed by a discussion with the director; Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? (Saturday, 8:00 pm), the story of a gay Israeli paratrooper and member of the London Gay Men’s Chorus who must confront his religious family, followed by a special live performance of Z. Wilde’s Fratelli: A Men’s Chorus; and There Are Jews Here (Sunday, 11:45 am), which looks at smaller Jewish communities around the U.S., followed by a discussion with representatives from outlying communities in the tri-counties. The Festival will conclude with Time to Say Goodbye, (Monday, 7:30 pm) a German comedy about circumcision!

SBJFF co-chair Mashey Bernstein shares, “The Festival exposes us to ideas and life outside of our regular daily routines and gives insight to the present, awareness of the past, and inspiration for the future. Whether audience members see just one film, several, or the entire spectrum, we hope that they will come away knowing a little more about Jewish identity in 2017. Above all, watching a film surrounded by others who love film and who share a common bond builds community and is an experience unique to a film festival.”

Organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, the 2017 Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival includes five days of high quality, unique films that showcase a wide range of documentaries, dramas, comedies, and shorts by American, European, and Israeli filmmakers.

Mission Statement: The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara produces the Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival specifically to celebrate the diversity of Jewish history, culture, and identity, while hoping that the films and their stories will resonate beyond these settings and speak to universal experiences and issues that confront our common humanity.

The 2017 Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival is once again chaired by Mashey Bernstein and Ron Zonen.

The 2017 SBJFF is a proud recipient of an Events and Festivals Grant from the City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.